Reality Was Better Than the Dream
by Regularamanda
Summary: Jack has a talk with his young daughter about what love is. Future. Fluff. Sam and Jack Established.


**Reality Was Better Than the Dream**

_Author's Note- What can I say? My muse was dying to write this…so I let it. I'm such a complete sap. Enjoy!_

A long retired Jack O'Neill sat on his couch watching an episode of the Simpsons. The pitter batter of little feet walking on the hard wood floor caused Jack to swing his head towards the hallway. Turning off the TV he said "Charlotte, what are you doing up? It's _way _past your bedtime."

The five year old rubbed her eyes. With her other hand she clutched a teddy bear, the one Teal'c had given her years before and who he had dubbed 'Murry'…the name had stuck. The blue merle Shetland sheep dog, Sydney, close on her heels.

"I couldn't fall asleep…Daddy can you tell me a story?" She asked.

Jack sighed but patted the space next to him. Charlotte shot that grin at him that he had seen countless times from her Mother. She scrambled up next to him and he put his arm around her.

"What kind of story do you want?"

She thought for a moment before answering. "A love story."

"Well you have lots of those stories in your room. Like Sleeping beauty and Cinderella…"

Charlotte interrupted him. "But those are make believe. I want to know what real love is."

"Well you know your Mommy and I love you very much." Jack said.

She sighed. "And so does Uncle Danny and Uncle Teal'c…but I want to know what a Mommy and a Daddy type of love is. Please?" She blinked those big brown eyes up at him, so like the ones he saw every morning in the mirror and Jack knew that he'd give her anything if she asked.

"Okay…well there once was a beautiful lady and one day she meet this very lonely man, and the man was told that he would have to work with this lady. But he didn't want to because she was _way _smarter then him." Jack began.

"Like Mommy is smarter then you?" Charlotte asked.

Jack chuckled at her. Years later and Sam was still confusing him with her techno babble…even in front of their daughter.

"Exactly. Now this man respected the lady very much and as the years went by the respect for her turned into something completely different, something that he wasn't supposed to feel for her. Love."

Charlotte scrunched up her nose at him. "Why not?" She asked.

"Because there were rules in place and by this man working with her and having feelings for the lady it could jeopardize their job. And one day it did. You see he became separated from her and he wouldn't leave her behind. And suddenly the man knew that he loved the lady. And he knew the lady loved him back. But they didn't speak those words out loud."

"Did the lady know that he loved her?" She asked concerned.

"Maybe not at first…but then a little bit while later the man was forced to confess that he cared for the lady very much. And the lady confessed to the man that she cared about him a great deal as well. But they decided that they wouldn't act on those feelings."

She frowned at him. "He didn't kiss her? But Daddy people _always_ kiss when they say they love each other."

"I'm afraid not Pumpkin. Now some time went by and again the lady almost lost her life because of the man and his feelings for her. And a lot of other people could have died as well. And the man decided that whatever he felt for he, he couldn't let his feelings for the lady show. So he tucked them away and he convinced himself that the lady was just his friend. And some more years passed and the lady, being convinced that the man didn't love her anymore, she moved on and decided to love someone else."

"But…he loved her…and she loved him…" Charlotte said confused.

"They did love each other. And the one day the man caught her humming…and he knew that she had decided to love someone else."

She cocked her head. "Mommy hums a _lot_." She said matter of factly.

Jack smiled, knowing that his daughter had no idea that her Mother only hummed when she was completely happy.

"You're right, Mommy does hum a lot…that's because she's happy. Now even though the man's heart was broken he let her go, and then suddenly the lady came to him and told him that this other man had proposed to her…and he didn't give her any reason to tell the other man no."

"Why didn't he tell her anything…why didn't he tell her that he loved her?" Charlotte said sadly.

"Because Charlotte that's what real love is all about. It wants the other person to be happy…even if that person isn't with them. And this man loved the lady so much that he was willing to give her up, let her go on and be with someone else, because he didn't have anything to give her."

"He gave her his heart. That was all she should have needed." She said.

Oh the innocence of a child. This child who was wise beyond her years…sometimes Jack wondered if maybe she had been spending too much time with Teal'c.

"Oh the lady had his heart. But sometimes people need more then that. And so the lady planned her wedding to this other man. And the closer and closer it got the more she realized that she was making a big huge mistake."

"Because she wasn't marrying the right man." Charlotte said.

"You must have gotten your Mommy's smartness." He said as he ticked her side causing her to laugh in delight. She snuggled into his side on the couch.

"Hurry up Daddy! I want to know what happens."

"Well the lady's father was slowly dying and the man was there for her and promised her that he would be there for her always, no matter what. And suddenly the lady realized that she couldn't be happy with this other man. That she was in fact in love with the man that had been with her for so many years. So she broke the engagement and then the lady and the man went fishing."

"Like you and me and Mommy do every Sunday!" She said excitedly.

"Yup. And the man ended up taking a different job and though they were separated for a time, after just a few more years the lady and the man were finally able to be together. You see that's how love is, and that's how real love _acts_. It waits till the time is right, and real love always wants what's best for the other person, no matter how hard it might be. That kind of love Charlotte, that's the kind of love that is so hard to find."

She thought for a moment. "You love Mommy like that don't you?" She questioned.

Jack grinned at her. "Yes I do. Now I think it's time for those of us who are short little blondes to get to bed."

"Can I stay up just a little bit longer Daddy…just a little bit? I like being with you."

Jack's heart skipped a heart at her words. He had never thought he'd be a father again, and it had been a shock when Sam had told him that she was pregnant. She hadn't even been sure she could have kids. And though Jack worried that he might not be around to see her grow up, he would never trade these moments for the world.

"Yeah sure ya betcha." He said as he held her a little bit tighter.

Charlotte didn't last long before she had fallen asleep on his shoulder. He tenderly picked her up and took her to her room. He gently laid her in bed and pulled the covers over her, kissing her softly on the forehead.

Sydney, ever protective, took her spot at the bottom of the bed, her kind eyes protectively guarding the little girl who held his heart irrevocably.

As Jack turned to walk out the door a little voice said "I love you Daddy…always."

Jack smiled softly, thinking sweeter words had never been spoken. "I love you too Pumpkin."

He made his way to the master bedroom and he found Sam with her glasses on reading a book in bed.

With a smile he leaned against the door jab, drinking in the sight of the woman he loved.

Time had worn her features, her face had more laugh lines on it and her hair was turning gray, but he knew that she would always be beautiful. And he knew he'd love her till he drew his last breath.

Sam looked up from above her glasses.

"Charlotte got out of her bed didn't she?" Sam said with a laugh.

"Yup." He said as he walked into the bathroom to change into his flannel Pajama pants and to put on a T-shirt.

"I wonder where she gets her stubbornness from…" Sam said as she raised her eye brow at him as he crawled into bed.

"I wonder…Daniel do you think?" Jack said with a grin.

Sam swatted him against the arm before she put the book away. Jack couldn't help but laugh when he saw the title _'Wormhole theory' _

"So how much of the book was wrong?" Jack asked.

"All of it…I can't believe that no one has come up with the theories that I had…really it's not that that hard to figure out that…"

"Ah!" Jack said cutting her off. "No Techno babble before bed."

"Yes sir." She said playfully.

Jack put his arm on the other side of Sam and leaned over her. "Hey what did I say about calling me sir in bed?"

Sam grinned up at him and his fingers softly played with her long blonde and silver pieces of hair. He never tired of that smile, the one that lit up her eyes and made him know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she never regretted that she had ended up with him.

Sam's hand came around his neck and she pulled his head down for a kiss.

"I love you Samantha." He said a while later when he pulled back.

"I love you too Jack."

He never tired of hearing his name on her lips for that matter either. For so long there he hadn't thought that he'd ever hold this woman in his arms and hear her say those words to him.

And as they turned out the lights and were wrapped in each other's arms Jack couldn't imagine life being better then this. It wasn't perfect, no marriage, no life ever was. But this life that they had made, he wouldn't trade for the world. Because he had everything he ever needed right here in his arms…and down the hall.

Sometimes reality was better than the dream.

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_Author's note- Thanks for reading and let me know if you liked it!_


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